Current-supply system for electric railways.



w! F. BYRAM & n. P. PHRONEBARGER. CURRENT SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24.1914.

Patented Apr; 6, 1915.

W- F" BYKRM R, P. PHRONEBARG-ER.

61 Roma 1 I'HE NORRIS PETERS C0.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, C.

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-"TodZZ whom it may concern: 1' ,v p l Be it known that we, ,WILLIAM FLoYo BY RAM and ROBERT: PINK PHno nBAnGnm; citi- 1 This invention relates to an improved current supply systemforelectric railways,fand has forits primary object to providecheap, durable, and practical means for supplying the electric O eratingcurrent to'the motor J I l p I I Y theupperend oflthe: boltf'will be exposed-1 e This; cutoutor recessed-aportion of the in! Y "sunnin standard, however, produces a v .75

77 general public in practicaluse.

1 CA OLINA. I

Zens of the United'States, residing at Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburgi and v State of North Carolina, have invented, cera tain new and useful"Improvements inzo Cur- "rent-Supply System's forElectricBailways,

of which the following is 'a-spe'cification,

reference being. had to, the f accompanying drawings.

carried by a car.;

,In its more specific aspect, the invention; contemplates the provision @O'f, stationary electrically charged contacts arranged in spaced relationbetweenlthe rails, and im.-; proved means for entirely rinsulating 'said contacts from,the railfties,;,suchinsulating,

' means also affording a protection'fforf pedestriansand preventing "accidental engagement of a person with said charged contacts, I

- thus vrendering the device entirely sateato the The invention 'forja further general object 1 to r improve the :construction of such devices so asto render the same highly efii- 'cient and reliable impractical use,-and admit of the installation'of myimproved:system'inp r v o j tact bolt is threadedeto irece ve a, clamping. r a

' electric railways ata minimum expense. 7

construction, combinatiom and arrangement specification and claims.

For a full understan scription and accompanying drawings, in

Figure 1 is aside elevation showing the parts of our invention in'its preferred form;

7 I Fig; 2 is" a top plan, viewof a single track,

Y the conducting plate carried by the car he 'ing engaged L with the adj acent insulating contacts mounted; upon the rail supportii'ig ties; Fig. 3 is an enlarged'section taken on tiontaken on the line 4 4 "of Fig; 3.

, onmm -surrnir SYSTEM Specification of etters Patent.

downward movementjof the bolt.

With the above and other objectsin View, the invention consists in novel features of 1 I ding ofthe invention, P reference is to be, had to the following de-v general construction and arrangement of the,

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designates the P rallel rails; a ed/. 6 f

spaced] ties uponwhich said rails aremounted 1n the usual manner.

tically' disposed contact bolts 7 are mounted.

Upon certainaof theties 6 in proper spaced relation, thever-i These bolts extend, upwardly" above the ties and aresheathed in .theinsulating standards 8. These standards are of 'generaljcylin drical"'form-1and areprovided upon-:their 17-,

lower endsiwith suitable'gattaching ears 9,

whereby they may be rigidly secured upon the ties. "A sleeveofinsulating materialin-oo d1cated'at 10 is also arranged around the. if

bolt 7 in the opening formedin the tie. The I upperend of'eachstandard Siscut, away upon its innerside as'sho'wnat" 11 sothajt,

curved cap orcrown 12; which extendsovelf 'than'the diameter ofthe bodysof the stand ard. Upon 'thebolt'7 astop collar 13; is se-' cured whichrests uponthelower endwall prevents of the recess 11 of thestandardand tends'below the tie c, a d is providedwith Y The'lower end of he, ontact bolt I 5 an opening indicated",atgjl ethrough which. v

the Y end i of; the ,current.- supp ly wire I is looselyengaged; This' loweriendofthe 0on IllitlfiflWhBlBbYthQ ,wire-maygbe'adjustably, v I and m va y l ini connec ion, w h; the,

bolt. a

are mounted. Each of'these shoes is made are rounded'or curvedas shown at 20. To

the, inner longitudinal edge of the circuit closing shoe at spaced points arms 21 are Coil springs 23 areconnected to each of these arms at one of their "ends, the other end of the springs being seated 111 suitable secured, to ea'ch'jof which a leadywire 22 extending, to the motor controller-1s connected; Y the line3' -3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a sec- U 1 susceptible of considerable modification insulating bearings which are carried bythe truck frame. These springs act to yieldably hold the outer longitudinal edge of the shoe in engagement with the threaded con the shoe uponthe truck frame,the same will be forcibly held in engagement with one of the contacts when the car moves upon a curve in the line of track. As the contact bolts are completely insulated, except upon their inner sides and at their upper ends,

which portions, however, are covered bythe crown pieces of the insulating standards, liability of persons or cattle coming into contactwith the charged bolts is practically wholly eliminated; Our improved current supply system for railways" is very reliable and efiicient in practicalluse, and owing to its extreme Simplicity ay be installed at i P y Small cost. a

While we have above described the pre ferred form, construction, and arrangement of'the several elementsemp1oyed,it will be understood that the device is, nevertheless,

therein, andwe thereforereserve the privi lege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be, fairly embodied within the spirit, and scope of the invention as claimed. What is claimed is:

a 1. In a current supply system for electric railways, spaced'wertically disposed contact members arrangedbetween the track rails, an insulating standard for each of said contact members extending through and secured 'G'o pies-oi this patent-may be obtained for to; the rail tie, said standard being recessed upon one side to expose the contact member a and having a convex head overhanging said recess, means secured to the contact and engaged with the base of the recessto prevent longitudinalmovement of the contact member with respect to the insulating "standard, the lower end of said member projecting below the rail tie and being connected to a sourceof current supply; in combination with a contact shoe yieldably mounted upon the truck frame of a car and offgreater i length'than the distancebetween any two adjacent contacts wherebysaidshoe will at all times be engaged with one of the contact members;

2. In a current supply system for electric railways, a series of vertical contact members arranged between the track'ra1ls, 1nsulatlng standards secured to the rall ties within whichsaid contact members are disi posed, the upper end of each of sa d stand ards being cut away on one side to expose the upper'end of the contact member and provlcle' an overhanging protecting crown,

a collar secured upon the'contact member to hold the sameagainst longitudinal movement through the insulating standard, the lower end of saidmember being connected to the source of current supply, in combinaj tion with a contact .shoe yieldably mounted upon the truck frame of the car and of greater length thanthe distance between any two adjacent contacts whereby said shoe will at all times be engagediwith one of the contactjmembers,

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in" the presence of witnesses;

WiLLI'AiI FLOYD Bra/1 his ROBERT PINK PHRONEBARGER.

mark

Witnesses: I 1

J. W. MADDox," P. A. BISHOP, BREVARD NIXON, CAMPBELL B. F ETNER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0. 1 

